Clock-winding mechanism



(No Model.)

A. M. LANE. CLOCK WINDING MBGHANISM.

Patented Sept. 24, 1895.

AN DREW EGHAHAM. PHOTO-UTKUWASHI NGI'UN4 D C Ninn ferns ALMERON M. LANE, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT.

C'LooK-wINDlNc. MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 546,782, dated September 24, 1895.

Application filed January 1.893. Serial No. 457,392. (No model.)

T all whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALMERON M. LANE, a citizen of the United States,'residin g at Meriden, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Winding Attachments for Clocks, of which the following is a specification. l

My invention relates to improvements in winding attachments for clocks, and the olojects of my improvements are simplicity of construction and general efficiency in the stop mechanism of said winding attachments. In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a rear elevation of a clock-movement containing my winding attachment. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the principal parts of the same on the line :l: oc of Fig. 1.

A designates the rear movement-plate and B the front movement-plate, the same being supported relatively to each other upon the posts 3, of any ordinary construction, and hav? ing journaled within them the principal parts of a clock. I have shown my attachment as applied to both the time and strike sides ot' the clock, the attachment being the same upon each side, and therefore a description of one side will answer for both. Upon the rear of the rear plate is a bridge 4, within which is journaled one end of the mainspring-barrel 5. 'Ihis end of said barrel is journaled by a hollow boss, through which the rear end of the mainspring-shaft 6 extends and by which said end of said shaft is Supported. The front end of the mainspring-shatt 6 is journaled in the rear movement-plate, as at 7, Fig. 2. The front side or end of the spring-barrel is titted to` and revolves upon the mainspringshaft 6. The inner end of the mainspring 8 is secured to the mainspringshaft 6, while its outer end is secured to the spring-barrel, as at 9, Fig. 2. I have shown in connection with the mainspring-shaft the internally-toothed rack 10 and planet-wheel11 for communicating motion from the spring to the pinion on the shaft 12, all substantially as in a prior application filed by me .I une 15, 1892, Serial No. 436,884.

Rigidly connected with the rear hub of the spring-barrel, so as to revolve therewith, is a wheel 13, and mounted upon said wheel is a planet-wheel 14., carrying the stop-pin 15. This planet-wheel engages with a pinion 17, which is rigidly secured on the rear end of the mainspring-shaft 6, so as to rotate therewith. In the rear of said pinion 17 is a stop in the form of a disk 18, which is also made rigid with said mainspring shaft. These parts may be rigidly secured to the shaft in any proper manner. I prefer to secure them by squaring the end of said shaft and the central hole through said pinion and disk, holding the parts in place by the screw 19. On the right-hand side of Fig. 1I have removed the screw and represented the toothed disk as partly broken. In order to show this construction and a portion of the pinion 17, I prefer to provide devices for winding the mainspring from the front of the clock. In order to accomplish this I not only provide teeth for the wheel 13, but I employ a winding-shaft 20, which extends to the front of the clock and is provided with a squared post for the application of a key, said winding-shaft being provided with the ordinary ratchetwheel 21 and its spring-actuated pawl 22. At the rear end of this shaft and rigidly mounted thereon is a wheel or pinion 23, whose teeth Lengage the teeth of the wheel13. This wheel 13 serves the double function of carrying the planet-wheel 14 and of connecting the Winding-arbor and spring-barrel. By rotating the winding-shaft the wheel 13 and spring-barrel 5 are rotated in the direction to wind up the mainspring from its outer end, in doing which the planet-wheel 111 revolves around the mainspring-shaft, and by engaging with the pinion 17 on the mainspring-shaft said planetwheel is also revolved on its own axis, the pinion 17 and mainspring-shaft being sta tionary when the winding is being done. The stop-pin 15 and tooth of the disk 18 are so related to each other and the teeth in the several wheels that they do not come in contact until the mainspring is practically wound up, and then the pin 15 strikes the tooth of the disk 18, as shown at thev left-hand end of Fig. 1, and prevents the spring from being further wound. When the clock is running down, the spring-barrel and wheel 13 remain stationary and the mainspring-shaft 6, pinion 17, and toothed disk 18 revolve. This also re- IOO volves the planet-wheel 14 on its own axis, and when the spring is about run down the pin 15 engages the tooth ofthe disk and stops the unwinding of the spring. In thus running down the stop-pin engages the opposite side of the tooth of the disk from that which it engages when the spring is wound up, as shown in Fig. 1.

Vhile I have shown my winding attachment in connection with an internal rack and planet-wheel movement, I consider it applicable to clocks having the principal or main wheel secured directly to the mainspringshaft. In other words, my attachment is applicable to all clocks in which the outer end of the mainspring is secured to the springbarrel and the spring is wound from its outer end by rotating said barrel. Vhile I prefer to employ the winding device described, it is evident that equivalent means maybe em ployed for rotating the spring-barrel in winding the clock.

lVhile I have described the stop-pin of the planetwheel 14c as engaging a tooth on the disl; 18, it should be noted that this construction is only a convenient means of making the tooth of said disk, which constitutes the stop, rigid with the pinion 17 of the mainspring-shaft the same as if it was in one piece with said pinion. It should also be noted that the effect of the wheel 13, mounted to rotate with the spring-barrel, is to make the planet-wheel and teeth of said wheel 13 move precisely the same as they would move if mounted directly on the spring-barrel itself, although by the particular construction shown I am enabled to mount the said Wheel 13 and planet-wheel ou the rear side of the bridge 4 while the spring-barrel is on the front side of said bridge.

In applying the usual doctrine of equivalents to my claims it may be observed that the two parts of the ordinary Geneva stop would constitute a known equivalent for my pinion and connected stop 17 and 18 and the wheel and stop 14 and 15 that are driven thereby, if the said two parts were mounted relatively to the mainspring-shaft and springbarrel, as herein described.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a winding attachment the combination of the main spring shaft, the main spring barrel mounted to rotate upon the same, tho spring with its ends secured respectively to said barrel and shaft, the planet wheel mounted to move with said spring barrel and provided with a stop, the pinion and connected stop mounted on said main spring shaft, the teeth 01": said pinion engaging said planetwheel, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination ofthe main springshaft, the spring barrel, the main spring connected therewith, the wheel 13 rotating with said spring barrel, the planet wheel 14 mounted on said wheel and having the stop 15, the pinion 17 and connected stop mounted on the main spring shaft, the Wheel 23 engaging with the wheel 13 and the Winding shaft 20, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

ALMERON M. LANE.

Witnesses:

JAMES SHEPARD, EDWARD W. lUsu. 

